Part III: Following Set Em Up's Trail

The Legend of Oregon's Lost Cabin Mine

Part III: Following Set Em Up's Trail

Set Em Up never returned.

Whether he perished in the mountains or simply vanished from history remains unknown, but his disappearance left behind something almost as valuable as the gold itself... a destination.

Somewhere beyond the mining camps of Northern California, a cabin reportedly stood in the Oregon country surrounded by remarkably rich gold-bearing ground. The description was brief, the location uncertain, and the man who knew the route was gone. Even so, it was enough to convince others that the story deserved to be followed.

During the early 1850s, Yreka stood at the center of one of the busiest mining regions in the American West. Every new discovery, rumor, or promising lead spread quickly through the camps, carried by miners, merchants, packers, and stage drivers moving between California and the Oregon Territory. A story as remarkable as Set Em Up's was unlikely to remain a secret for long. (Siskiyou County Historical Society.)

According to later historical accounts, interest in the missing cabin grew steadily after Set Em Up's disappearance. Prospectors began discussing where such a rich discovery might have been made, comparing routes, landmarks, and scattered recollections from those who claimed to have spoken with the mysterious miner. No one seemed to know the exact location, yet enough believed the story to justify searching for it. (Hult, Lost Mines and Treasures of the Pacific Northwest.)

One expedition would become particularly significant.

In the spring of 1853, John Wesley Hillman organized a prospecting party that traveled north from Yreka into the largely unexplored mountains of southern Oregon. The expedition itself is well documented, although its connection to Set Em Up's Lost Cabin comes primarily through later historical accounts rather than official records. The National Park Service identifies the group as prospectors searching for new mining ground, while later traditions connect their journey with the continuing search for the Lost Cabin Mine. (National Park Service; Hult.)

The expedition never found the cabin.

Instead, on June 12, 1853, the party reached the rim of a vast lake hidden within the collapsed summit of an ancient volcano. Today it is known as Crater Lake, one of Oregon's most recognizable natural landmarks. At the time, however, the discovery received little attention. Gold remained the objective, and the prospectors soon continued their search. (National Park Service.)

The irony is difficult to ignore.

One of Oregon's greatest natural wonders entered the historical record because a group of miners was searching for something entirely different.

Whether the expedition ever came close to the Lost Cabin remains uncertain. Contemporary records do not answer that question, and later accounts differ in their descriptions of both the route and the intended destination. What can be stated with confidence is that by 1853 the legend had already grown large enough to send experienced prospectors deep into Oregon's rugged backcountry.

The search would continue.

Among those determined to follow the story was Colonel Samuel C. Hall, whose recollections preserve one of the earliest detailed accounts of the Lost Cabin ever recorded. His search, and the testimony of a man named D. V. Thompson, would add an entirely new chapter to the legend.

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References

Primary Sources

Hult, Ruby El. Lost Mines and Treasures of the Pacific Northwest.

Additional Sources

National Park Service. History & Culture: Crater Lake National Park.

Crater Lake Institute. Historical accounts of the Hillman Expedition.

Siskiyou County Historical Society. Early history of Yreka and the California Gold Rush.